Former pro hockey player convicted in murder of wife in upstate New York home sentenced to life in prison without parole

BATH, N.Y. - A former professional hockey player convicted in the slaying of his wife in their upstate New York home has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

A Steuben County Court judge on Monday sentenced 39-year-old Thomas Clayton to the maximum penalty in connection with the killing of his 35-year-old wife, Kelley.

Thomas and Kelley Clayton pose in Caton, N.Y.

(Jeff Richards/AP)

A jury convicted Clayton on first- and second-degree murder charges in February. He hired a former employee, Michael Beard, to kill Kelley Clayton inside the couple's home in the rural town of Caton in late September 2015.

Thomas Clayton was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

(AP)

The 46-year-old Beard was convicted of the same charges last November and sentenced to a maximum of 25 years to life in prison.